The present invention relates to D-homo-4,17-androstadien-3-one, a process for its production, and pharmaceutical preparations containing it.
4,16-Androstadien-3-one is a compound which has been known for some time. It is formed during the metabolizing of other steroids, for example testosterone [J. Biol. Chem. 236:692 (1961)] or dehydroepiandrosterone [Steriods 8:511 (1966)]. Yet, this compound has never been investigated in greater detail pharmacologically, obviously because it has a pronounced "urine odor" [Helv. Chim. Acta 28:618 (1945)], rendering it unsuitable as an active ingredient in medicines.
It is known that derivatives of 4,16-androstadien-3-one have an antiandrogenic effect upon local application (DOS No. 2,631,915 and South African Pat. No. 79.01974). However, these compounds have the drawback that their effectiveness is relatively low, or that they additionally cause undesirable systemic antiandrogenic effects. Moreover, known compounds of a less analogous structure and not burdened by these disadvantages, unfortunately have an intense "urine odor" as determined by in-house experiments described hereinbelow.